Email Unsubscribe Link: Why You Need It And How to Make The Most of It

Email Unsubscribe Link: Why You Need It And How to Make The Most of It
30 March, 2022 • ... • 2610 views
Irene Dmitrieva
by Irene Dmitrieva

You’ve spent plenty of time creating an email campaign worthy enough to send out, but there’s one last thing you need before hitting “send” — insert unsubscribe link in email. This is an opportunity that allows your subscribers to remove themselves from future mailings.

Making it easy for subscribers to stop subscriptions is a priority. You never know when someone might change their mind, so make sure they can easily cancel their subscription by using the opt-out link in every message.

One way to avoid receiving spam complaints is by adding unsubscribe links in your mailing.

What is an unsubscribe link?

An unsubscribe link is a small print link usually at the bottom that allows the recipient of your email to remove themselves from the list of senders.

An example of a standard unsubscribe link.
Source: reallygoodemails.com

Unsubscribe links are a great way to allow your subscribers the option of opting out. It also helps prevent you from being labeled as spam. So it’s important that these types of links be included in every message.

Laws and regulations about unsubscribe links

Many companies hide unsubscribe links. Some, perhaps accidentally, others do it intentionally, hoping to keep the number of subscribers in their database. Whatever the case, an active link to unsubscription must be in every email — that’s the legal requirement. If a person no longer wants to receive emails, that is their right and they should be able to reject a subscription.

Whether you’re a small business owner or work for a large corporation, it’s important to know the CAN-SPAM Act rules. According to this act, unsubscribe links are a must for all of your marketing emails so that people can easily stop receiving them.

CAN-SPAM Act Requirements.
Source: ftc.gov

If you fail to include such an opportunity for subscribers, you may be subject to fines from the Federal Trade Commission. So it’s important to make sure you satisfy this requirement of the CAN-SPAM Act.

Why add unsubscribe links in emails

Keep in mind that subscribers will always come and go. It is a crucial aspect of your email marketing process. Unsubscribes are good for your business because they let you know what people think about your emails, which can help make future ones better. With an email list that is clean and engaged, you can bet on customer loyalty.

Email unsubscribe links are necessary:

To influence your sender reputation in a good way

If your emails do not have an unsubscribe option, your subscribers might mark them as spam. This will lead to a loss of reputation and could lead to many of your emails landing in spam folders.

To avoid customer frustration

To ensure a positive experience for both sender and recipient, it is important that customers can be easily unsubscribed. This will help avoid the potential of negative feedback being left on your brand’s reputation.

To get valuable feedback

Sometimes it can be hard to understand the reason for unsubscribing.

The unsubscribe survey is an excellent way to better understand what’s causing people are leaving. This step gives you an opportunity to find out what you could do better to keep more people subscribed. And as a result, to improve your marketing strategy.

an example of an unsubscribe page
A typical unsubscribe survey example

To influence email deliverability

Including a way for unsubscribing in your marketing emails can improve their deliverability. Unsubscribe links “tell” email service providers that you’re not trying to spam, which helps messages reach recipients and keeps sender reputation clean.

Best examples and templates

These are a few examples of great and not-so-great opt-out links. In the case of not-so-great ones, we’ll also give you an idea of how they can be improved.

Great examples

  1. The unsubscribe link is clearly marked and stands out from the rest of the email. It is located at the very beginning of the mail and has a bold font so you can’t miss it.
A goof example of unsubscribe link
Source: reallygoodemails.com
  1. The unsubscribe link is clearly marked in bold text and in a different color to make it easier to find. It is also clearly separated by a paragraph.
The unsubscribe link is clearly marked in bold text
Source: reallygoodemails.com
  1. Another example of how to use links correctly. In addition to the fact that the link is at the beginning of the email, it is highlighted and underlined. This link is not lost in the text, but noticeable at a glance. Ideally, you could have capitalized it.
A good example of a properly placed unsubscribe link.
Source: reallygoodemails.com

Not-so-great examples

  1. This is one example of a poorly placed link. First, It comes right after a long sentence. Most likely, few readers will see it. Second, the small, unremarkable font, which clearly does not highlight the opportunity to stop the subscription.
Poor unsubscribe link example.
Source: reallygoodemails.com
  1. The opt-out link is hard to find in this email because it’s not underlined or highlighted. Why not make it easy for readers? Highlight or underline the word “unsubscribe” in color and put a small symbol next to it — these two changes should be enough.
The unsubscribe link is hard to find in this email.
Source: reallygoodemails.com

Properly placing unsubscribe links is especially important if you’re thinking about how to send mass emails correctly.

How to add an unsubscribe link to an email

The process of adding unsubscribe links is essentially very similar in any email service provider. With Ecomz, you can create a simple unsubscribe link for each message. Just follow these steps:

If you use a ready-made template

It’s easy to get started with pre-made templates to create emails, as the opt-out link is already a part of every template.  You can drag it anywhere you want or edit by clicking the appropriate button on the Toolbar.

Click the Insert button on the Toolbar

If you build an email from scratch

  1. Select the text you want to make a link and click “Insert/Edit” on the toolbar.
Click the Insert button on the toolbar.
  1. Enter {{UnsubscribeUrl}} in the “URL” field.
A window with link parameters
  1. This is what your opt-out link will look like:
Successfully added link

Best practices for email unsubscribe links

How to make a link to unsubscribe so that it works well: to be clear, noticeable, and placed in accordance with all the laws?  Follow these tips.

  1. Think about the placement. Whether people click on the unsubscribe link or send an email to spam will depend largely where it is placed.

Placing an opt-out link at the top of emails may decrease spam complaints. The fine print at the bottom of an email can be difficult to find. So, place the button to unsubscribe on the first screen.

  1. Make it clearly visible. Provide the button for unsubscribing that stands alone and can be easily found, even if it’s at the bottom of your email.
  2. Add an unsubscribe survey. To make the most of the opt-out links, a simple survey should appear when the link is clicked, where the user can write their reasons for unsubscribing. Although many users will leave the text box blank, you’ll get plenty of info from the few who fill it out.

How to unsubscribe from emails without an unsubscribe link

Some brands don’t provide an option to opt out in their email companies, which can make it hard to stop receiving emails. Luckily, there are always ways of getting off these lists without hassle.

Reply to the sender

When you receive an unwanted email, the best thing to do is reply back and let them know that they’re not welcome anymore. The majority of marketers will have their contact information available on their website or in the footer as well. Just send a simple message requesting to be unsubscribed.

Mark the message as spam

Marking the message as spam will help you keep them out of your inbox.

Mark the message as spam
How to mark the message as spam. Source: my personal inbox

Block the sender

By blocking the sender, you can prevent them from contacting or bothering you any longer.

Block the sender
How to block the sender. Source: my personal inbox

Final thoughts

By making it easy for people to remove themselves from your list, you show they matter and have value. Plus, keeping a clean list of subscribers will improve email deliverability rates.

Don’t try people’s patience. If you haven’t added an unsubscribe link to each email campaign, make sure it’s on the list for tomorrow. It’s a fast and easy way to show your subscribers that you care about them and their experience with your emails.

30 March, 2022
Article by
Irene Dmitrieva
As a marketing copywriter, I have experience creating compelling content for websites and social media posts. My background in market research helps me ensure that my copy is both on-brand and data-driven. I am excited to bring my skills and experience to Selzy team and help drive success for this company.
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